


On the Couch

by i_amthecosmos



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Anger, Brief Violence, M/M, Open Relationship, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 03:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8874679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_amthecosmos/pseuds/i_amthecosmos
Summary: Pete and Andy go to couple's therapy. The therapist keeps her Excedrin handy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I dragged this one out of the bottom of my fic lj, fixed the pesky tense changes, and decided to put it up. Pete/Andy needs whatever help it can get as a pairing.

The therapist looked at the two men in front of her, sitting on the couch. They were sitting stiffly, not touching each other. One was fidgeting and looked like he was going to jump up and pace the room any minute. The other one didn’t move at all. She cleared her throat.

"Hello. I'm Miriam, the couple's counselor. I talked to Pete over the phone, which one of you is him?" She smiled, trying to break the ice.

The fidgety one looked up. "Pete, yeah. This is Andy." He gestured toward the red haired man staring at his shoes. "We've been together for a few years."

"Three." Said Andy. "Three years. You can never fucking remember."

Miriam took a deep breath. Here they go.

First Session

The one hour session involved a lot of talking from Pete and a lot of scowling from Andy. Pete talked nearly nonstop, for almost the whole session, until finally Andy snapped. "You have no problem talking to her, or online, but you won't tell me a goddamn thing!"

Miriam looked at Pete. "Is that true, do you have a hard time talking to Andy?"

Pete nodded. "Yeah, I don't really...I write lyrics or poetry, but I don't talk. Or I punch something."

Andy leaned forward, hunching over. "You write poetry and put it online for millions of teenage girls to read and buy into your 'I'm so lonely and misunderstood' act. You're manipulative with it."  It’s so frustrating sometimes.”

Miriam was lost there. "What do you mean, millions of teenage girls?" Pete hadn’t mentioned anything about that when they made the appointment.

Andy pointed a thumb at Pete. "He's famous."

Pete smiled a little. "You're famous too. We're on the magazine covers together."

Andy shrugged. "I'm just the drummer. You're the teen idol." For the first time in the session, he looked at Pete with fondness. Miriam was cheered by it, and thought they might have a chance after all. 

"Andy, how do you think Pete is being manipulative?"

Andy sat back. "Well, he writes all these emo entries which never give any specific detail, but are all sad and upsetting. But he won't just tell me. If I'm the one making him upset, I'd like to know."

Pete looked over at him. "It's not about you. Not usually."

Andy scowled again. "So, are they about Jeanae?"

Pete looked down. "Sometimes." 

Andy punched Pete in the head without warning. Miriam stood up and started yelling. "Andy! You do not hit him in my office!" Pete didn't say anything, just rubbed his head and scowled. Andy looked defiant.

Miriam kicked Andy out for the rest of the session, which was only about five minutes anyway, and then tried to find out if Pete was being domestically battered. He seemed to find the idea funny and was still laughing when he got out of the session. Andy was waiting in the hall.

Second Session

Miriam was amazed that they even came back, or had the time. She did a little online research and found out that Pete and Andy were indeed famous. (And she also saw pictures she dearly wished she hadn’t.) But here they are, back on the couch.

Miriam gave Andy a five minute lecture and told him he is not allowed to hit Pete, in her office or ever. He nodded. "Okay. I am sorry about it, but he's such a shithead about her."

Miriam kept digging and found out that neither of them was monogamous. Pete has this Jeanae, who both of them agreed was a nutcase, and Andy picked up groupies. When Miriam asked, disbelieving, if Pete was at all jealous, he just shrugged. 

"I have Jeanae, he can fuck girls if he wants. Anyway, Andy's not gay."

Miriam felt the beginning of a migraine somewhere around her temples. "Andy, you're not?"

Andy shook his head. "Pete's the only guy I've ever been with. I wouldn't do it with anyone else, probably." Another fond look.

Pete spoke up. "I mean, we're bisexual, that's how I look at it. But Andy doesn't really go for that term."

Andy nodded. "I don't like being categorized like that. I just...it is what it is, you know?" He took Pete's hand, and it's the first time Miriam saw an act of affection between them.

Miriam decided that it was too early to press the monogamy case, and might not be best. So she tried to ask them if they spend time together, and Pete laughed. "We're in a band, sure we do!"

Andy shook his head. "Not you and me, not as much as we should. I mean, you even moved away."

Miriam sat up at that. "You did?" Andy nods. 

"He's living in LA now. I'm still in Chicago. He didn't...ask me to come."

Pete looked upset. "Andy, you can stay with me anytime you want. I just moved to get away from Jeanae."

Miriam said softly, "Who you're still seeing." 

"You still kept her, and moved away from me. God, fuck you, Pete." Andy shook his head. Pete looked down at his feet, seemingly mournful.

"You can stay with me, Andy. You could have moved in. I want you to." 

"You didn't ask me, Pete. And I don't want to live in your fucking LA mansion, up on the hill. It's so goddamn wasteful and materialistic."

Miriam tries to steer the conversation back to Pete and Andy, but Andy chose this time to go on a five minute rant about capitalist society. Pete laughed. "Yeah, but you're on the cover of Rolling Stone, all the same. Can't get more capitalist than that." Andy looked over at him and laughed too, shoulders relaxing from their hunched position.  Miriam noticed that Pete seemed to make Andy take himself less seriously, which meant that on some level, their relationship was good for them.

Miriam got Andy to promise to see Pete more. They make up a list, no hitting each other, no hitting objects or self-injuring, spend time together alone. They hold hands when they leave.

Miriam took a few Excedrin Migraine before her next session.

Third Session

Miriam didn’t see them for a few weeks. Pete texted her from their tour, and explained that they are busy and the shows are going great. Andy sends her a card by mail, and said much the same, and that he and Pete are spending more time together. 

When they show up, they look relaxed and happier. Andy held Pete's hand when they sat down. "We stayed in the same room in the hotels this time." 

Miriam frowned. "You don't do that normally?" 

Pete answered. "We used to all room together, all four of us. But when the band got bigger, we got singles. And Andy would either come over, or me to him, or we'd be with girls." 

Andy nods. "No girls this time. I just spent the tour with Pete. It's kind of hard-Pete doesn't really sleep."

Pete nodded. "Yeah, remember that medications list I gave you at the beginning? They don't work."

Miriam spent most of the session trying to get Pete's insomnia figured out, and wondered if he couldn’t get some of his medication changed. Andy sat there quietly, and then said he wished Pete wasn't on medication, "But given our situation, it's probably for the best." 

When she asked him what he means, Andy says that he was against drugs in nearly all forms, but understood that with the pressure on Pete, holistic methods probably wouldn't work. Pete grinned at Andy, proud. "He's so good. He doesn't take anything. He's a real straight edger." Miriam quietly put that term on her list of ones to look up later.

They talk a little more, and Pete told Miriam the extent of his personal and emotional problems. Andy seemed to want to blame Jeanae for them, but Pete wouldn’t let him. "I attract fucked up people because I'm fucked up, okay? She's not the first and probably won't be the last." Andy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, how's things going with Ashlee?"

"I'm not...she's just a friend! I just like being around her. That's all." 

Miriam looked over at Andy. "You have sex with girls too, why are you jealous of Pete's girlfriends?"

Andy looked sheepish. "Because I don't like them. I just do one night stands, Pete has to have a relationship." Pete didn’t say anything to that, he just crossed his arms, looking stubborn. They talk more about it, but don't get it settled before the end of the session.

Fourth Session

It was another few weeks later, and Fall Out Boy have toured overseas. The two of them come in and Andy shook her hand, seemingly really happy to see her. Then he sat next to Pete and put an arm around. Pete automatically curled into his space, and Miriam smiled at that. "So, how are things going?"

Pete spoke up first. "Really well. Andy got this book on massage, and he's been rubbing my back."

"I'm trying to get him to go to sleep naturally." Andy said. "It works, kind of."

Pete laughed. "Yeah, because I get really hard and then you fuck me." 

Andy nodded. "And then Pete falls asleep, for a little while at least." He leaned in and kissed Pete, who kissed back. 

They spend most of the session talking about sex, which seemed to be going a lot better. Pete said he hadn't seen Jeanae for a nearly a month, and Andy wasn't picking up. So they were spending more time with each other. "Yeah, how stupid was that? We were fucking so many other people, we weren't with each other!" Pete shrugged. 

Later, Andy said that he'd brought up his relationship with Pete to his mom again, who didn't seem entirely supportive. But she listened to him this time, and it seemed to have gone well. "She said to bring Pete over when he's in town."

Miriam nodded. "Have you been over to visit Pete in his place?"

Andy shook his head. "Not yet, we haven't been home, any of us. But I will. I'll go spend a week or two when we get time. I want to visit my family for a couple of days, then fly over."

Miriam wrote that down. "Things are going a lot better for you two. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Andy spoke up, quietly. "I still want Pete to be able to talk to me."

Pete looked down, squeezing Andy's hand. "I don't know if I can."

"Just...Pete, write it down. Write it down and leave it on the fridge, I don't care. Just let me know." Andy pulled Pete into a hug. "I'm sorry. For being so angry about it." 

"It's okay." Pete's voice is quiet. He kissed Andy's cheek, then turns to Miriam. "Um, we kinda have to go. We have a video shoot. I don't know if we're scheduling another appointment soon or not. But thanks.

Miriam looked at them. "Do you want to end your sessions?"

Andy looked at Pete and nodded. "For now." 

Miriam nodded and stood up. "All right. It was good meeting you two. Good luck." She went to shake their hands, but Pete pulled her into a hug. Andy just shook his head, smiling softly. 

She saw them leave, hand in hand, dropping them when they went outside, in case of photographers. She smiled a little and wrote in her case notes. 


End file.
